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The earthquake that devastated Port-au-Prince last January may have been amplified by surface features as well as the region's underlying geology, researchers say. A rocky ridge south of the city center vibrated and shook in much the same way that a tall building behaves during a quake, amplifying and channeling the quake's force. By studying that effect, scientists hope to predict where future earthquakes are likely to have the greatest impact.

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A 7.3-magnitude earthquake shook Japan early Saturday off the coast near Fukushima, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. A tsunami warning was issued by Japan's Meteorological Agency, which put the quake's magnitude at 7.1.

The March earthquake in Japan shook a research reactor in Tokai village beyond its design parameters, according to a Japanese government ministry. Another test reactor in the facility was likely damaged by the quake, the ministry said. Authorities found no radiation leaks.

Though official estimates are unknown, it is believed that thousands of Haitians are now amputees, a class with an uncertain future in a country where life was difficult even before the earthquake that devastated the country. Before the earthquake, the capital of Port-au-Prince lacked wheelchair ramps, elevators and facilities appropriate for amputees, a situation made much worse by the proliferation of debris, potholes, street vendors and other obstacles since the earthquake.

Haitians are using Twitter and TwitPic to share photos of the devastation from a 7.0-magnitude earthquake near Port-au-Prince and to post appeals for assistance. Thousands of updates flooded Twitter and Facebook, as people turned to social tools for information about the disaster. "The Web has been moved by the plight of the Haitian people," writes Ben Parr. "Social media has quickly become the first place where millions react to large-scale catastrophes."

The death toll from the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that shook China on Monday was up to 9,000 people and rising by the end of the day. China's Xinhua News Agency reported that 80% of buildings in Beichuan county in the Sichuan province had collapsed in the quake.